But the Gunners claimed it was 'impossible' because of crowd segregation and offered their north London rivals just 5,000 tickets.

Relations between the two clubs become so strained they were forced to call in the Football League to thrash out a solution.

An Arsenal spokesman said: "In relation to the ticket allocation for away supporters for the tie at Emirates Stadium, the Club is pleased that the Football League upheld its decision to cap the number at 5173, as the safety of spectators is paramount.

"Emirates Stadium has been designed to host up to 9000 away supporters for a cup competition fixture in line with the 15% regulation.

"However, to date, we have not hosted a cup match at Emirates Stadium and were therefore advised by the Football Licensing Authority and Islington Council, as well as supported by the Met Police, that it was unsafe to make the considerable increase from 3000 to 9000 away supporters in one single step.

"On the upside, as a result of accommodating over 5000 away supporters for the first time at Emirates Stadium on January 31st, we will be in a position to review the opposition’s allocation with the necessary parties for future cup ties.

"This will hopefully enable the Club to provide visiting teams with the maximum 15% allocation for the FA Cup and Carling Cup competitions."